4.3 The Research Process
4.3.2 Sampling
The aim of qualitative sampling is to provide rich information, and so there are two main considerations: appropriateness and adequacy. The samples that were needed to complete all aspects of this research were purposive. Mack, Woodsong, MacQueen, Guest and Namey (2005) explain that purposive sampling occurs when participants are selected according to preselected criteria that are relevant to the particular research question. Participants need to be chosen so that they are the best people to provide the required information; and to provide adequate sampling of the sources of information so that the research questions are addressed and a rich description is obtained (Fossey, et al., 2002:726). Purposeful sampling provides a rich description of data, which enhances its transferability (Babbie and Mouton, 2001). My study used purposive sampling as follows:
Sampling of phase 1 - the first sample of couples
Informed consent was obtained from twelve heterosexual Zulu couples from KwaZulu Natal. There were two main criteria for inclusion in this phase of the study.
Participants had to be over the age of 21 so they did not need legal consent to participate in this research, and needed to define themselves as being married for at least two years. This minimum marriage period allows time for couples to overcome any initial issues that living together brings.
Snowball sampling was used, initially using several different sources to develop the sample, in order to source a wide variety of participants in terms of their ages, length of marriages, and whether they live in rural or urban communities. Each spouse was offered the choice of being interviewed separately as their background family experiences would be different; and so that they could feel safe and at ease, revealing information confidentially if needed, in order for the information to be trustworthy.
Snowball sampling, where participants could suggest other potential couples, was
Page | 78 used to obtain the sample because it is convenient and time efficient. My sister-in-law organised and introduced me to several contacts in rural areas, whilst my husband’s colleague and other friends were the source of several contacts in the city of Durban.
While sourcing participants I bore in mind the concept of sampling to redundancy, which consists of interviewing more and more people until the same themes and issues come up over and over again, so no new information can be gained by increasing the sample size (Durrheim, 2006).
Sampling of phase 1 – the second sample of family elders
Nine individual family elders who have been consulted by their family members for marital assistance agreed to be interviewed as to their personal experience of growing up as Zulu; and which of the cultural rituals, practices and processes were used by them to assist the couple. They were also selected as a result of snowball sampling as described above.
Sampling of phase 1 – the third sample of Zulu social workers
Snowball sampling was also be used to recruit 10 generic Zulu social workers of both sexes and of various ages and experience from agencies that are used as the first stop for assistance with family and relationship problems. Again, my sister-in-law was very helpful in contacting social workers since she is a nursing sister, and was matron in Ngwelazane Hospital near Empangeni, KZN - she knew the social workers there, and also has had contact with various other social workers in the area through her work as a trainer in courses in HIV/AIDS home-based care, as well as through her church and Rotary. Some of the social workers from generic agencies also do private work outside of office hours with the consent of their agency, and so I sourced some of the social work contacts at the meetings of the KZN Social Workers in Private Practice (SAASWIPP), as well as through the list of KZN supervisors working for UNISA. Additional social workers were sourced through friends. Social workers were interviewed as individuals so that their deeper concerns and experiences could be heard. However, their respective agencies were informed about this research so that
Page | 79 the process was transparent and open, and complied with the social work code of ethics.
Sampling of phase 2
Social workers from FAMSA (the Family and Marriage Society of South Africa) in Durban and in Pietermaritzburg who specialise in relationship counselling were asked to be part of a general group discussion on the findings of Phase 1, for which C.P.D.
points were obtained. Two groups were held – the one in Durban had 19 social workers and students who attended, whilst the Pietermaritzburg group had 7 social workers who attended. The purpose of these groups was to validate the findings in terms of their own life and work experience, and to generate ideas for best practice guidelines for relationship and marital counselling that can be used with Zulu couples.
Sourcing participants
Sourcing the sample of research participants was the most difficult aspect of the study. Although using the snowball technique for sampling sounds easy and reliable, and many people were interested in this study and expressed willingness to source couples for interviews throughout the study period, this did not happen easily. As a result the collection of the data took much longer than expected. Fossey, Harvey, McDermott and Davidson (2002) warn that snowball sampling relies on the quality of the participants’ social networks, and it can result in a homogenous sample. This may have resulted in bias in this study as many of the participants were employed, which is not a typical demographic of this province as mentioned previously. However, the type of employment varied widely. I was fortunate that my sister-in-law is well known in her community, and understood the purpose of the study and was able to
“sell” it to her friends and colleagues. A Durban friend was able to explain the purpose of the study to several of her colleagues at work, and to persuade them to be interviewed. Other people, including close friends and my husband’s associate, were able to find either a couple or a social worker for interviews. Throughout this process
Page | 80 I attempted to have a wide variety of participants, both in terms of age and whether they lived in a rural or urban community, in order to prevent a homogenous sample.
Although the same method of the in-depth interview was used in Phase 1 of this study, the criteria for the three samples were different; and in Phase 2 two group discussions were used, but with a sample with different criteria. Triangulation increases the richness and complexity of the data obtained, which Fossey elucidates as
“...gathering information from multiple sources... in multiple ways... will illuminate different facets of situations and experiences and help portray them in their complexity” (Fossey et al 2002: 727).